Pooja & Simran, 4 beautiful years of passion, creativity, and dedication — and it truly shows in everything you create. Watching your journey grow into something so special has been inspiring. 🍽️🎨💛
Pooja, I’m incredibly proud of you and all the love and hard work you’ve poured into this. And Simran, your partnership and shared vision have made this journey even more meaningful.
Wishing you both continued success, growth, and many more milestones ahead. May your passion keep shining and your creations keep bringing joy to everyone. 🥂
Love 💕
Pooja ❣️
Over these fifteen years, I know I haven’t always been easy to love. In truth, I may have troubled you more than anyone else ever has. For the times I’ve hurt you, disappointed you, or made life heavier than it needed to be, I am truly sorry.
Yet through it all, you stayed. You chose us. You loved me in my best moments and in my worst. Your patience, your strength, and your unwavering commitment mean more to me than words could ever fully express.
Thank you for standing beside me, even when I didn’t deserve it. I promise to keep growing, keep learning, and keep loving you better with each passing day.
Happy 15th anniversary. 🤍
Crystal Anniversary !
The other day, I was rewatching Shyam Benegal’s Mammo, a film I love very much and have reviewed as well. While the main plot revolves around a Muslim woman’s identity and nationality, the character I’ve always related to the most is young Riyaz (Amit Phalke).
Riyaz is being raised by his maternal grandmother, Fayazi (Surekha Sikri), whose sister Mammo (Farida Jalal) comes to stay with them. It is an arrangement that Riyaz adjusts to with considerable difficulty.
In his immediate world, Riyaz quietly regrets not having a conventional family with a father, mother, and siblings. He is also embarrassed by his living situation and avoids bringing his friends home.
Riyaz’s best friend is Rohan (Ameya Balsekar), the one person he confides in and feels comfortable having around. In this scene, the duo, both film buffs, sneak out to watch an adult film, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Initially turned away for being “kids,” Riyaz comes up with the smartest possible workaround: Mammo’s burqas.
Riyaz isn’t used to seeing his grandmother wear the burqa in Mumbai, but Mammo, having lived in Pakistan, does. To the young boy, it is a source of curiosity and mild amusement. Unsurprisingly, his sharp mind finds the perfect use for it: sneaking into a theatre to watch a Hollywood classic with his best friend, something he otherwise could not have done.
The young actors are consistently terrific. While Phalke went on to work in several films in different capacities, this remains the only film Balsekar ever acted in, making him one of Bollywood’s true one-film wonders.
Written by Khalid Mohammed, Shama Zaidi, and Javed Siddiqui, Mammo is now streaming on YouTube.
